On December 9th, 2023, Ding Xuexiang, Member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council, attended the 2023 World Chinese Language Conference in Beijing and delivered a keynote speech.
He stated that language is a tool for communication, a carrier of culture, and a bridge by which to promote dialogue and exchange between human civilizations. Chinese President Xi Jinping noted that learning each other’s language and understanding each other’s history and culture will help promote mutual understanding and forge closer bonds between the two peoples, and also contribute to building a human community with a shared future. China will continue to promote high-standard opening up in education, encourage language learning and international exchanges among people, especially among the young, and make great efforts to support international Chinese language education, providing the Chinese language with strong support and guarantee to accelerate its pace in “going global” and serving the world.
Noting that Chinese is the language of China as well as a language of the world, Ding Xuexiang stated that the joint efforts of the Chinese and people from all over the world are required to promote international Chinese language education and linguistic exchange and cooperation across the world under current global circumstances. He also called for the construction of a more open and inclusive framework for international Chinese language education, stressing efforts to work with all relevant parties to ensure the sound operation and management of Confucius Institutes and other Chinese language programs. He stated that information-based, digital, and intelligent Chinese language education must be vigorously developed, with support given to countries to train local teachers, develop localized textbooks, and carry out localized activities for the teaching of the Chinese language. The role of the Chinese language in serving the world must be better leveraged to continuously enhance its applied value in society. China supports and encourages more international organizations to include Chinese as one of their official languages and welcomes the use of the Chinese language on more international occasions such that it can be used to actively serve the economic and social development of various countries. Ding Xuexiang stated that linguistic exchange and cooperation between China and other countries must be deepened and that two-way communication between Chinese and languages from around the world must be strengthened using the ideas of “inviting in” and “going global,” that is, supporting young people from various countries to visit China to experience Chinese culture while showcasing different cultures, and enhancing mutual friendship and communication between hearts. It is necessary to promote the prosperity and development of diverse civilizations around the world by encouraging exchange and mutual learning between those different civilizations and adhering to the principles of openness and inclusivity while upholding fundamental principles and breaking new ground.
Ding Xuexiang visited an exhibition on the innovative development of international Chinese language education before the conference to learn about the achievements attained in this area in terms of educational systems, faculty, teaching resources, and test services.
With the theme of “Chinese for the World, Openness into the Future,” the 2023 World Chinese Language Conference was attended by around 2,000 people, including experts, governmental officials, representatives of international organizations, and leaders of international language and cultural institutions from China and other countries.
